Optical clocks are the apotheosis of precision measurement, but they require frequent maintenance by scientists. The supporting laser systems are a particularly demanding component of these instruments. To reduce complexity and increase robustness we propose an optical clock with trapped alkali-like ions that use the $S_{ 1/2}\rightarrow D_{ 3/2}$ electric quadrupole transition. Compared to traditional group-II ion clocks this reduces the number of laser wavelengths required, and uses hyperfine state preparation and readout techniques enabled by the nuclear spin $I=1/2$. We consider $^{ 225}$Ra$^{ +}$ as a candidate system for a clock with three electronic states, and discuss the potential to help realize a transportable optical clock.
Categories: physics.atom-ph